Deep Cove Marina

[Amgine]

I thought I'd take a moment and comment on our boat's new home. We've moved into the Indian Arm, off Burrard Inlet near Vancouver, BC, Canada.

The marina is... inexpensive, relatively speaking. More importantly, it had the only slip I'd been able to find which was easily within the regional transit system so I can bus/bike to the boat. But it has extremely limited amenities, and the wooden docks on foam floatation are in need of extensive refit or replacement, which in fact they are undergoing this season. There is no breakwater, and the heavy motorboat traffic means the boats are bobbling at the dock and both mooring lines and fenders get a workout.

The Indian Arm is a wonderful fjord which is near enough Vancouver for an afternoon get away, and the upper portion is nearly completely isolated - no roads, just the waterway - and surprisingly unpopulated since the densely populated city is quite literally only 10-15 miles away. Much of it is parkland. It is not a great sailing area, being nearly land-locked with what little wind there is funneled up or down the fjord, but it is gorgeous and popular. (We've spent a couple days wishing we had better light-air gear in the past week.)

I can't recommend the marina to others. I don't believe there are any transient slips, and if there were an open slip I'd warn against the place unless, like us, you're constrained by finances and location, and you're planning to spend a lot of time at the boat thus insuring it is checked often for wear and tear. If I had the choice I'd be at the Deep Cove Yacht Club, or as long as I'm fantasizing how about the RVYC in English Bay, if either could provide a 25' slip.

[rsn48]

Amgine, I must apologies: I missed this thread. I live in Deep Cove. If you look out for a guy with a young English Springer Spaniel swimming the waters of the Cove, that'll be me and my dog (the dog swimming, me walking). If you get out your binnocs, you'll see a red power boat moored across the way from you; that boat is waiting to get into the Deep Cove Yacht club. It is often where my dog swims, at around 7:30 in the evening, from there I'll be hanging out around the Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak center, or around the Park in the Cove, all these spots my dog swims.

I must confess a sin. I was watching my dog swim - he will go out for ten to fifteen minutes, swimming on his own before returning - when a pack of Japanese tourists came over to my spot. They would point at anything that moved in the water, bird, water over rocks, you name it, and declare it to be a seal. I couldn't resist so I pointed to my dog and said "Seal." One who spoke broken english said it looked like a dog; I said "Yes, very famous long ear harbour seals here, no where else in the world, kind of look like spaniels." Well as you can imagine, they all grabbed their cameras and fired off about a thousand shots (I exagerate to enhance the story). So somewhere in Japan there are a group who are showing their friends and co-workers pictures of the famous Deep Cove long eared harbour seals.

I would recommend you try to get your boat to Mosquito Creek for mooreage. Even though I live two short blocks to the Cove, I wouldn't moor by boat there. Why? Indian Arm presents the same problems as a lake; at first its thrilling to boat on the Arm or a lake, but after your fifty time, the thrill is sort of gone. As you have discovered by now, it takes quite a while to go from Deep Cove out to Point Atkinson (Light House Park). So if you want to sail the Gulf Islands or Howe Sound, you spend most of your time, getting out beyound the Lions Gate bridge, then you have to get back. Mosquito Creek isn't the greatest marina but its a short sail from it to out in the salt chuck beyound the bridge. If you want an enjoyable greasy spoon breakfast or lunch, the "High Boat" restuarant there is fun to eat at; warning: they only take cash, not even interact (American translation: ATM).

Also, not only is Indian Arm a fjord; it is the most southerly fjord in North America.

I've edited this in: want to show your friends across Canada where you moor your boat? If this link works, it should take you to an "interactive" map of Indian Arm; tab on locations and a picture will pop up.

Vancouver sea kayaking - Rentals, Lessons, Guided Trips out of scenic Deep Cove British Columbia, Canada. Come Paddle the ocean with us!

[Amgine]

I loved it! (As someone who lived in Japan and maintains friendships...)

The specific link you wanted is the Destinations Frame, which won't look quite right outside it's appropriate location. But there it is all the same.

I'll be at the boat tonight, using the binocs to try to find a big red motorboat... For me, Indian Arm is sort of okay because when I head out it's usually for a week or more at a time. When I time it right I shoot out with the tide in about 1.5-2.5 hours. When I don't, it's 6 hours waiting until the slack; my little 7hp/2-blade prop isn't even going to *think* about challenging the second narrows.

Mosquito Creek, huh? <looks>

[Amgine]

Well if you rate 'em by honesty and brevity... Called up Mosquito Creek and said I was looking for a slip for a 25' sailboat. "We don't have anything for you." <click> ::sigh::

I'll try Sewell, but am expecting more of the same.

[rsn48]

Your post got me curious so I phoned Mosquito Creek claiming to have a 25 foot sailboat and here is what I learned (turned out to be useful to me). Many marina's will not list an owner on a reserve list for boats under 30 feet. The turn over is much higher amongst the smaller boats and the number of moorage slips is much higher compared to the larger boats. The woman says she has a much higher turn over in the smaller boat sizes and said to call back at the end of the month. I suspect if you call them once a month that in about 6 months you'll have a slip.

Sewell's is a smaller marina so I am guessing they won't have a listing. Having said that, when I searched for a marina, everywhere except Mosquito Creek were full up and I was worried. When I called Sewell's they had a spot open much to my surprise so I grabbed it instantly.

My long term goals are to move to our house in Qualicum Beach on the Island and I would like to moor my boat in Nanaimo, which is very difficult to get into. I just phoned them and they have the same policy of not reserving for boats under 30 feet. I told the woman I would call her about every 4 months and bug her for a space, but I also told here I don't want it until about three or four years from now. I said if I kept bugging her, she'd probably give me a space 4 years from now just to get rid of me; she laughed when I told her that.

I did some research and I'll give you my philosophy (which I guarantee you isn't universally held) on yacht club membership. There are two reasons I would belong to a yacht club (three actually but one doesn't count). First out stations are important to me. If a yacht club has some decent out stations (where you can stay for free), then joining seems worth while. Secondly, does the club have decent reciprocal agreements with other clubs so that cheapskates like me can save money.

A club house isn't important to me as it usually means higher annual dues, and some will tack a food bill onto your annual membership, quarterly even if you don't eat there. Most yacht club's food is okay to good, but not excellent, so the extra charge doesn't thrill me.

The third reason to join a club is to get reduce moorage fees. This is great except the "best" clubs that cost $50,000 to join have unbelievable waiting lists. I'm told that Royal Vancouver Yacht Club has a 25 year waiting list for moorage- who needs that? Also if the cost of joining the club is high, it offsets the "discounted" moorage fees so that they really aren't discounted.

Lastly some clubs have higher than I want to pay annual fees, again once you factor these fees in, the "discounted" moorage fees, aren't.

So with all the above caveats involved I sought out the cheapest yacht clubs on the coast that were mildly accessible to me; I came up with two.

The Ladysmith Yacht club was $350 to join but it bumped up its initiation fee to $500, but it doesn't have any out stations, but does have a club house - if that is important to you.

The Schooner's Cove Yacht Club is $500 to join and does have two out stations, but no club house (a good thing in my opinion, lower yearly dues). The two outstations are Duncan Cove and Silva Bay, both located in great areas to sail.

I consider these two clubs to be bargains since more and more folks will be moving and retiring on the Island (best weather in all of Canada). I am thinking of joining the Schooner's Cove club as the reciprocal agreement list is substantially longer than the Ladysmith club. The annual dues for both are peanuts.

Lastly, another bargain I found, which probably means it will be a bear to gain entry into, but persistent enquiries over years will probably pay off, is the Vancouver Rowing Club at Stanley park. Check out their moorage fees, joining fees and annual dues. Very reasonable.

Ladysmith Yacht Club

http://www.ladysmithyc.bc.ca/

Schooner’s Cove Yacht Club

http://www.scyc.ca/membership.htm

Vancouver Rowing Club/Yachting

http://www.vancouverrowingclub.ca/index.php?theme=ya_main

Listing of BC Yacht Clubs

http://www.cruising.ca/links/docs/yc-BC.html

Polite persistent calling is what is required to get some of the better moorages; most people call once, hear "No" and move on. I'm willing to bet getting into Mosquito Creek isn't that difficult.

Good Luck

[Amgine]

Want to expand that into two full-length articles? I'd bet there are a couple of local magazines which would love a thoughtful article about yacht clubs and finding mooring.

I served as the program director for a year for the Washington Yacht Club, a student club at the University of Washington Seattle. One of the things I learned is that reciprocity will almost always be extended to another yachty if you 1) ask politely on behalf of your club and 2) if you have a burgee in hand to give them. Burgees weren't cheap at our club, but not much if any more than the cost of a slip for a night - and next year you'd get to stay again without the cost of the burgee.

The number of clubs willing to reciprocate with the WYC was amazing, despite the fact our "guest dock" was an 80' float at the waterfront activities center (read: no amenities or clubhouse, just the public showers/restrooms of the WAC building.) On the other hand, only about a dozen and a half members actually owned boats, so there was probably little risk that anyone would take them up on it very often.

I'll follow your advice regarding Mosquito Creek, and Sewell for that matter. I'm on a 10-year waiting list at Steveston, which is where I actually will be living soon, as well as in False Creek. Finding convenient moorage takes time and research, so I think I'll plan on building a house near wherever I actually get moorage...